Start A Blog: 5 Things You Don't Need

Hey Y’all. I’m currently doing a challenge where I will be posting on the blog daily M-F for the month of July. There is actually a whole group of us that are participating in this challenge. As we were getting started, I noticed that a lot of the participants had either started a blog, but weren’t actually blogging. Or there were some participants who wanted to start a blog, but hadn’t set one up yet. Most of the hesitancy was due to fear, of course. I think we all kind of fear the unknown, even when it involves something that we want to do badly.

Well, today I want to help remove that fear (when it comes to blogging, anyway). Many think that you have to have all of these bells and whistles to start and maintain a successful blog. The truth is, YOU DON’T. So, in an effort to debunk all of the assumptions, I’m sharing 5 things you DON’T need to start a blog. Check them out below!

You Don’t Need A Professional Camera

I have taken so many pictures for my blog and Instagram over these last three and a half years. And to be honest, most people can’t tell the difference between the professional photos and the ones that are taken with my iPhone. My engagement on Instagram does not waver just because a photo is taken with an iPhone either.

My advice for taking photos with your phone. Make sure you (the subject) look good. Your hair and makeup should be on point, as well as, your outfit. And you need to have a clean background that looks nice. Also, try to use “portrait mode” if you have an iPhone.

Lastly, be aware of lighting. Good lighting is really the secret to great photos. And if you’re shooting outside, the best time to get optimal lighting is during the “Golden hour”. The “Golden hour” is the 2-3 hour gap right after sunrise or right before sunset. To get the best light, try shooting 2-3 hours before sunset or 1-2 hours after sunrise. The sun at these times is pretty low and doesn’t cause contrasting shadows. It does provide you with great outdoor portrait lighting. Here is the app that I use to notify me when “Golden hour” is approaching in my location.

You Don’t Need To Be A Great Writer

No, you don’t have to be a great writer to start a blog. But, you should be able to tell your story very well. I think that’s what makes blogger relatable. Most people don’t really care about grammatical errors. They just want to be able to feel some sort of emotion; whether that’s excitement, sadness, joy, inspiration, etc. When you evoke those types of emotions, your stories become memorable. And because you’re so relatable and memorable, your subscribers start to trust you. They’ll continue to come back for those feelings and that relatability.

Tell your story as a blogger. To be honest, this is something that I am still figuring out as a blogger myself. But, I do find that when I share more of my personal life, my followers and subscribers engage more.

If you’re worried about grammatical errors, try Grammarly. It will become your best friend.

You Don’t Need A Niche

Niche bloggers write about one specific thing: their one area of expertise. There’s nothing wrong with that. But, because we’re all very well-rounded human beings, we may want to write about more than one aspect of our lives.

The best bloggers know that more important than having a niche, is the ability to present yourself authentically at all times. By doing this, you’ll naturally attract people who relate to your story and journey. That means that YOU are a niche. How does the saying go? “No one is you, and that is your superpower”.

I do think that you should choose 3-5 areas that you want to focus on and blog about. For me, it helps me to not be all over the place. Also, pay attention to the type of content your subscribers and followers respond to the most. This will help you determine what areas to focus on in the future as you create more content (and products/services).

You Don’t Need A Bunch Of Money

Being a new blogger is not expensive at all. The only initial cost that you may incur is setting up your blog which is usually about $30 to $70.

I think it goes without saying that you do need a computer and a way to take pictures (your phone). So, if you don’t have one, get one. Otherwise, it’s fairly inexpensive.

Here is a good blog post that gives you the particular details of the costs of starting a blog, depending on the level of blogging you want to do.

You Don’t Need To Build A Website From Scratch

You don’t have to be a website designer, graphic designer, web developer, etc. You don’t need to know anything about building a website to start a blog. It’s easy.

My first blog, Officially Chic, was pretty quick and easy to get going. I used WordPress.com to set it up. They guided me through all of the steps; which only took a few minutes. I was able to choose whatever plan I wanted (I chose the basic plan since I was a newbie), and voila, my blog was created.

What you will need to do is a little research. Ask questions. Join FB groups with other bloggers. Get the help you need. But, you can definitely start that blog. Click here to start your blog with WordPress.